Is This Love?
by Clarisse LaFontaine
Summary: One was looking for love, the other didn't know it existed. What happened when little Ginny Weasley met 16-year-old Tom, or ... Lord Voldemort?
1. Default Chapter

My very first fic. Scary... Anyhow, this is the first chapter of probably a 5 or 6 chapter fic. Read and review? ^^; Although I know you won't do any such thing.  
  
Legal stuff: I do not own Harry Potter, I have not written the original, actual series, and do not claim to own any of the characters. Or anything. All that stuff belongs to the very talented J.K. Rowling^^ I just wrote this fic because I am one of the many fans who wanted to speculate on what might have happened during the time talked about here. *points below*  
  
Enjoy?  
  
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The wind blew cold, icy, onto the frowning face of Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was thinking of one thing. A small, dark, leather-bound book he'd found earlier that evening. It was a diary. With trifle curiosity, he had picked it up and flipped through its unused pages. Then pocketed it and walked on.  
  
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Ginny Weasley's long fiery hair was blowing about carelessly. Something else was on her mind today, as she walked on the fallen autumn leaves. Unoticing. She had found a diary that day-a small, dark, leather-bound book that looked as if it hadn't been used at all by its previous owner. Another curious attribute was the name printed (by some common charm, she supposed) at the back.  
  
Tom Marvolo Riddle.  
  
It was her second day at Hogwarts and she had already fallen in love with it. Ginny was sorted into Gryffindor, just like the rest of her family. It was nothing too new or exciting for the Weasleys though. Except maybe Ron. Ron cared.  
  
The dairy. It was very strange. because it couldn't be written on. At least, that's what seemed to happen; when Lauretta (a fellow first year) spilled ink on it. An odd thing happened; the ink disappeared.  
  
"I'll try writing on it tonight." Ginny whispered to herself, decidedly.  
  
Then, smiled at the crescent moon shining down on her.  
  
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"Where did I put that quill?" complained Ginny in frustration.  
  
She was back in the Girls' dormitories and was ransacking her trunk for a single quill. It was the only one she had, actually. A falcon feather; ruffled and ripped a bit at the end.  
  
"You're good at messing things up y'know, Ginny?" teased her new friend Lauretta from the neighbouring four-poster bed.  
  
"I don't have time for this."  
  
Lauretta loved getting into arguments with Ginny. She thought it funny the way her eyes blazed and ears got all red.  
  
"You never do, do you?"  
  
"Shut up, Lauretta!" she shouted.  
  
Lauretta blinked. "What do you need, Ginny?" she spoke a bit softer.  
  
"My quill!" came a squeal.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I found it!"  
  
"Right." Mouthed exasperated Lauretta.  
  
"Why do you need it so bad right now, anyway?" she questioned. But Ginny had already jumped into her four-poster with it, drawn the curtains, and all that was to be heard was the excited movement of a quill.  
  
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Hello. (Ginny turned the book over and saw the name--) Tom.  
  
Nothing. The writing dissolved (if that was the word to describe it) into the yellowing pages. She tried again:  
  
Hello. This is Ginny Weasley.  
  
Then, expecting nothing again, she turned around to dip the quill into her scarlet ink and tried to think of something else to write. However, as she began to write, new writing began to form in the book.  
  
Hello Ginny.  
  
That was NOT what she'd been expecting, but nonetheless.  
  
Is this a real diary?  
  
Of course.  
  
"How are you able to write in it, too? . Where are you? Can you see me? Can I see you?"  
  
"Slow down, Ginny."  
  
And she laughed in spite of herself. Okay-she wrote freely:  
  
Where are you?  
  
Somewhere far away. I cannot see you right now, but yes, you can see me.  
  
See him? Him? The mysterious "Tom" writing back from within the book?  
  
How can I see you?  
  
Watch.  
  
Ginny quickly put down her quill. She sat there humming and waiting. Waiting. And at that moment realized her quill wasn't there anymore. Wide- eyed, she got up and looked around for it.  
  
What?  
  
Turn the page Ginny.  
  
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Oooh. mysterious. And short. ^^;  
  
In the next chapter, Ginny finally meets Voldemort/Tom, Ron feels strange, and there are VERY mixed feelings.  
  
Read and review~ please? 


	2. Love at First Sight?

Yay~ chapter 2! Finally... =P And thankies Rubymoon2, Maxennce, and chiharu4. ^^ For the kick off my lazy arse, and being my first three reviewers! XD Wells, enjoy~  
  
R/R pweese? ^^  
  
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After the high wind she'd just experienced (out of nowhere, seemingly) -- Ginny Weasley sat up. And looked around.  
  
She found herself in a strange surrounding; a little enclove among many trees. They towered over her, and if possible, made the whole area darker than it already was. Ginny faintly remembered having written in a diary and somehow, ended up ... here.  
  
"Your quill." came a voice, out of the shadows of many oaks.  
  
Ginny looked up, in search of the voice, and her eyes stopped suddenly at the sight of a boy around 15 or 16 holding something in his hand. He was looking down at her, with piercing blue eyes-- he saw first her innocent expression, comprehension then dawning on her glowing face, and a beautiful smile grow within her cherry-red lips. The sight of her made him catch his breath. It was either in the surprise of meeting a girl so young, or ... so beautiful, he thought.  
  
Still confused, but smiling, Ginny pushed herself off the dewy evening grass and (bravely, she reflected) walked over to the strange boy. Was he....? Was he Tom? From the DIARY?   
  
She had pictured Tom to be something like Ron or Harry. Younger, boyish, and with an air of contentment around them. But Tom seemed the opposite; his eyes were cold, his face showed no sign of happiness, and there was an aura encircling him-- of ... something. What was it.. darkness, sadness, or ...evil?  
  
Ginny shuddered. And Tom caught sight of it, then smiled. It was a beautiful smile, rarer than one might imagine, and glowed; down to the little childish form of Ginny Weasley.  
  
After many minutes of observant silence, someone spoke up.  
  
"This must be yours." Tom held up a quill with a slightly ruffled end.   
  
"Yes," spoke Ginny softly, enveloped in a sudden shyness, "I ... must have dropped it..." her voice trailed off. But nevertheless, she reached out her hand for the quill, expecting Tom to give it back.  
  
At that moment, the 16-year-old boy did something she didn't expect. In the least. He took her hand, turned it over softly between his own, and kissed it.  
  
It wasn't complete, though. The "kiss" was more like a gesture of politeness, Ginny supposed, from customs his family held, or some ancient junk like that. She tugged at her hand and gingerly stepped back, noticing the quill lying on the grass. Ginny sighed. Then laughed.  
  
Her laughter rang out through the little garden and echoed back. Tom looked up and gazed at her; such girlish laughter-- such happiness and total oblivion from all depressing things. He admired it. Almost automatically, Tom bent down and picked up the quill. WHY was he being such a gentleman? It was just... strange. Very unlike him. As he opened his mouth to speak, surprisingly, it was Ginny who spoke first;  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"Why, you asked to see me, and here you are, in our garden."  
  
"OUR garden?" she raised an eyebrow. (Tom felt a mad desire to laugh at this child, raising her eyebrow in such a way)  
  
"My family's garden. Or at least, my Fathers..." he stopped and looked past Ginny. "Father's health hasn't been well. These muggle Healers say he won't last more than a few more days. Then, I will return to Hogwarts-- and come back to something called an 'Orphanage'."  
  
Despite her sudden sympathizing with Tom, Ginny felt there was no use in silence.   
  
"Your mother?"  
  
"Dead." he said simply.   
  
"Oh... I ... I'm sorry!" It was so sudden. She fell forward into his arms and started sobbing. "It's just so sad, having no parents, and no family. You must feel so alone... I wish I could do something to help."   
  
Ginny's naturally kind and caring nature softened Tom, and for a few moments, her forgot who he was, and pulled his arms around her and caressed her. After all, this girl was still a child, affected by the depression and darkness in his life.  
  
"Umm." Ginny awkardly pryed herself away from the handsome teenage boy. "The diary..I... don't know how..."  
  
"After meeting me, would you really want to see me ever again." he smiled bitterly, "Few ever want to."  
  
"Of course I do!" cried Ginny indignantly. "But how?"  
  
"The dairy." Tom said. "As long as you have that diary Ginny, you'll never be far from me. My memory, at least."  
  
Then, a strange expression went through his eyes, his soul. Then changed a few times, until finally, Ginny started to feel rather cold. The area got darker... and he said in a completely expression-less voice,   
  
"You're beautiful."  
  
And with a gust of wind and the same flash of light, she was back on her warm bed in Hogwarts' Gryffindor Girls' Dormitories. The quill was still gone.  
  
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Oooh, who knew Lord Voldemort was so romantic? But will Ginny understand him? Oh, and btw, I decided to leave out the Ron part, and make this a STRICTLY Ginny/Tom fic. ^^   
  
Next chapter: Ginny's thoughts of Tom, while in Hogwarts. And strange periods of time, where all memory of events is gone...   
  
Review? ^^ *hugs readers* 


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